


The Legend Of Mortak

by MaryDarkMoon



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-06 09:37:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12814740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaryDarkMoon/pseuds/MaryDarkMoon
Summary: In Mortak, the ancestral religion worships nature and the present moment. The mountains, more than any other place, embody the lands of the spirits. Their presence can be felt on the steep paths climbing Mount Jakahal. Everything here is imbued with mystery : the song of the birds, the sweet fragrance of osmanthus and the roots of the oaks that wrap themselves around the scaly rocks. The spirit deities are not hidden in another world : they officiate here and now. All that is created is sacred and is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. There is a god of the clouds, trees and birds and even of trades, like fishing, farming, and so many others you cannot guess. The community that lived on those lands consisted of hundreds of human beings. As with any other ethnic group, the Mortak community was governed by traditions and laws, thus maintaining a lasting peace. A peace that would be threatened by imminent danger.





	1. When the cold chills the blood

In Mortak, the ancestral religion worships nature and the present moment. The mountains, more than any other place, embody the lands of the spirits. Their presence can be felt on the steep paths climbing Mount Jakahal. Everything here is imbued with mystery : the song of the birds, the sweet fragrance of osmanthus and the roots of the oaks that wrap themselves around the scaly rocks. The spirit deities are not hidden in another world : they officiate here and now. All that is created is sacred and is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. There is a god of the clouds, trees and birds and even of trades, like fishing, farming, and so many others you cannot guess. The community that lived on those lands consisted of hundreds of human beings. As with any other ethnic group, the Mortak community was governed by traditions and laws, thus maintaining a lasting peace. A peace that would be threatened by imminent danger.

The wind got up early this morning. Accompanied by a thick mist, it is like the fatal song of a near death. For twenty long years have prepared them. Tales and legends came to embellish a different reality. The day of the final test was arrived. Eden had not slept all night. She had been watching for hours by the fire, trying to soak up the heat of the hearth deep in her soul. Maybe for the last time. Because she knew that at dawn, she would rise to extraordinary challenges. She was already wearing her armour. Her boots were sturdy leather, laces from the point to her knees. The leather was already well damaged, reflecting a hard training, endless walks in the dark forests of Lakos. A huge belt, also in tanned skin, was holding her pants. A huge golden dragon stood there, acting as a belt. On the side, in a small black case, you could see the handle of a dagger. Its butt was made of ash, a wood from the men's Lakos sawmill. The blade had been specially forged for the rite of passage. Her bust was covered with a thick fur coat to protect herself from the cold. The winter solstice had been celebrated five days ago and since then the wind had been roaring every morning. No ornament or additional artifice. Eden would have to be fast, stealthy, discreet. Invisible.  
They were eight. Their choices had pushed them to stand here, in front of the Guide. She was going to intervene for the last time:  
"My children, today is the day you have decided to take your destiny into your own hands. The choices you will have to make may be fatal, or they will cover you with glory. Do not be afraid of death, do not be afraid to want to live. Since your birth, our community has taken to surround you with love, it has infused our values. Make good use. Beyond the limits of our lands, remember that I love you with unconditional love and that I am proud of you. Now, go. There is no greater task than to confront, not death, but life. "  
The eight left immediately. One after the other and in silence, they disappeared in the thick mist. Seven days now separated them from what they had been so good at: becoming the Guardians of the Plains Dragons.

The eight, walking many hours, enduring the fog now facing a fierce cold chilling their blood. Like the sharp point of a blade in your back; the sting of a wasp; the feeling of stupor running through one's spine. The road had been muddy, sometimes rocky. It ended on a multi-directional crossroads. Impossible to know where each path led. When one seemed to be leaving for Lake Istakh, another seemed to lead to the Devil's mines. Each their turn, they took a different path. Eden went to the one who appeared in front of her. She walked with her shadow as only company for hours. There was not a soul in sight. The sun was not enough to warm Eden. The more she walked, the colder she was. And under the features of the horizon, like a mirage, a forest stood before her. She was not long in entering the Forest of the Nymphs, thus beginning her first quest. 

Entering the Forest of the Nymphs was often synonymous with a go with no return. But more was needed to scare our young warrior. Eden went a little deeper, unaware of the enchanting scenery offered her. The trees, all larger than the others, were lost in the immensity of the sky. They trunks covered with frost and their bark, a bright blue almost polar. The foliage was mixed with the stalactites and the moss strewed the ground was covered with a glittering frost. To enter this forest was like entering a new world. And like every new world, extraordinary creatures lived there, like nowhere else. Everything here, from the root of the tree, through the myriad of hyacinths, to animals and other living things, was endemic to this territory suspended by time. Enchanted by her surroundings, Eden did not notice she was being watched. She sank alone, with the sole purpose of finding the Tree of Life. That was her first quest; find the Tree of Life and drinking from the river of sweet nectar of ancestral wisdom from this forest. She could feel the waves and understand how the creatures of this world live together. Eden wanted to carry in her knowledge of Nature of its benefits, but also of its dangers. A danger that immediately watched her surrounded by immeasurable polar oaks.

Little eyes barely larger then fireflies in the night, were watching Eden. Unsuspectingly and without crushing the carpet of natural foam, the little sharp eyes moves with Eden as one, unknowingly of Eden. The sun piercing through the trees, did not reveal immediately who was hiding behind these fireflies. They were dancing hither and thither as if cradled by an invisible song. But if they were highly intrigued by Eden it was for darker reasons.  
More dangerous than the Ogres of the Sands, the Nymphs were the Guardians of the Tree of Life and questioned Eden's presence and purpose. Curious they permitted her to seize the secrets of Gaia. The Nymphs lived in a colony, reclusive in the forest. They only moved in small furtive groups. The sentinels Alpha observed Eden from her arrival into the forest however their intentions were clear : Do not let this young woman leave.

But Eden had been trained to face dangers and threats. She felt behind her that someone, or something, was watching her. Then started a frantic race where the inter became the prey. Eden found herself being engulfed by smoke that froze around her body capturing her. As she struggled to free herself, the air became even more oppressive and Eden began to feel her body stiffening. Soon she could not keep running, falling to the ground like a statue frozen by time and the elements. Thin icy particles came to rest on her and began connecting with each others, forming flakes of a few centimeters. They then formed a cocoon of ice in which Eden was a prisoner. 

"Look at her how beautiful she is!  
\- Beautidul ?! I would say rather....strange. Its nose, its hair, everything is hideous! It is not from here it will only bring us trouble!  
\- Trouble ? But no, it looks so peaceful...  
\- ...Nonsense! We must bring it to the Druid of the Elegant Oak. Let's press, before other sentinels take our loot.  
\- Our booty... I find it pretty our booty. I like it...  
\- Ahhhh, we do not ask you to love this ugly creature! I would kill it if I could but the Druid wants to see it. Let's hurry up!"

One of the two Nymphs mumbled an incantation in a dialect of their own. The cocoon narrowed, narrowed and shrank until it was no bigger than a snowflake. She picked it up and put it in her palm. Then, the two Nymphs climbered on their mount. The boreal wolves were magnificent mystical beasts; their fur was sidereal gray, almost metallic; they legs were powerful and their heads, massive. Their breath was husky, deep and strangely soothing. For creatures so big, it was almost hypnotising. The sentinels plunged into the woods, straddling their wolves and disappeared.

Eden opened her eyes. She did not know where she was. Everything seemed vague to her. She looked for the small holster attached to her belt in order to seize the dagger. It was empty. As she was trying to get up, a voice interrupted her:

"I would not do that if I were you. When the cold hits the head and freezes the blood, beware of those who do not wait to warm up."

Eden looked around her but did not see anyone. Gradually, the fuzzy outlines became more precise. She realised that she was still in the Forest.

"My head...i'M so cold, said Eden."  
She wanted too extricate herself from what was used as a bed, but she fell down.

"Are you not listening? answered the voice. Do not creatures like you have a brain? I told you, Ethyon, this thing is not only ugly, but it is idiot as well.  
\- Not agree, Ethya! I like it, replied Ethyon. Tell me, Booty, why did you come to our Forest?  
\- Booty ?! Eden said to Ethyon. My name is not Booty! I am Ed...  
\- No time! No time! Ethya interrupted Eden in a hurry. We must bring you to the Druid right now. Come on, drink that and you will feel better."

Ethya handed Eden a little goblet, strangely looking like an ice cube with a small hole in the middle. A doubtful mixture was into it. Eden took the goblet and immediately felt the nauseating odour escaping. 

" No way, I won't drink that, I just can't! she exclaimed. What is so repugnant about it that such a smell comes to lift my heart?  
\- You have a heart! Good news, Ethya said to her, but if you do not hurry to drink, your heart will be useless in a bit."

Eden took a deep breath and closed her eyes swallowing the drink. It had the same texture as the slime of a toad and a bitter taste of dried root. A silence follows, then Eden's stomach began to gurgled like a pot of boiling water on the fire. Her skin regained color. She released a burp that she could not contain despite all the goodwill of the world.

"Disgusting, said Ethya.  
\- I think that even the mountains of Ethos have heard you, Booty, answered Ethyon.  
\- I'm sorry, said Eden, but I must admit that I'm not cold anymore!"

On these good words, our warrior and the two Nymphs left the place. They took Eden in a maze of winding paths. Each step left a slightly shining print on the ground. Hundreds of small fireflies were circling Eden. The trees were now smaller than at the edge of the Forest. In the middle of the pathway, a Salix Babylonica was standing the whole place. Its leaves were not frosty like other trees. There was something different. Ethya and Ethyon stopped in front of the willow. Ethyon waved his hand and the branches touching the floor, rose like a silk curtain.

"Welcome Booty, said Ethyon to Eden. You are the first foreign creature to our world entering this sacred place. The Druid is waiting for you. To be honest, everyone is waiting for you."

Eden crossed the polar curtain and was stunned by what was hiding behind.


	2. You cannot see the forest for the trees.

The place was huge and vast. The horizon was lost in a so pure blue sea. The flora took its source here. There were thousands of flowers, all unique to each other; myriads of plants, ranging from the simple blade of grass to the majestic oak. Everything seemed ... alive. Along the way, small mushrooms grew animated as Eden walked. Their hats were covered with small oscillating dots. One of them moved and turned to Eden. Its lamellae strangely looked like veins that ran from the head to the bulb.  
The trees seemed to bow when Eden approached them. A strong feeling came over her and she was rocked by an invisible song. It was the first time that she had seen the sky since entering the Forest of the Nymphs.  
The fauna was just as diversified, ranging from the small rodent under a fern to white deer which was much taller than the horses of Mortak. Was it a dream? Doubt invaded Eden for a short moment. But no time to linger, Ethya pushed her. The path led to a vast square with an immeasurable oak at its center, giving the illusion of touching the sky with its highest branches. Cut in the base of the trunk was a throne. Each small detail told the story of the forest. On the left armrest was carved the battle of the Great Monarchs. On the right, the funeral plague. Stories that Eden knew well. From her youngest age, her mother had told her stories like so many others.

"Eth'alo Me Ki, said an unknown voice. "  
The voice seemed to come from the Oak.  
Eden looked around her and she saw dozens of Nymphs. All watched in silence. The mysterious voice went on:  
"On behalf of Gaia, be welcome. "  
The voice came from the bowels of the tree. Approaching a few steps, Eden saw the oak bark change. Roots took place on the throne and intertwined, becoming legs, bust, arms and head.  
"You can call me Druid," he said. I was waiting for you Eden and I am comforted to see this day happen.  
\- You know me ? interjected Eden.  
"Indeed, I know you," he replied. I know everything in these places. I am the morning dew, the afternoon rain and the evening storm. I am the wind that breathes nature, I am the cold that takes away your life, I am the water you drink. I am the Druid of the Elegant Oak.

Then a silence. How could the Druid know Eden, who came from another territory than the Forest of the Nymphs. He had aroused her curiosity.

"-Now that I stand here in front of you, are you going to help me? Eden asked him. I have already spent a lot of time in these places, I have to hurry if I want to pretend to become a guardian of the dragons. The other seven have I'm sure, getting ahead, especially Melissandre and Jaleb. We are eight and only five of us will be able to become what we are born to.  
-Are you sure you are born for that Eden," the Druid asked her. The leaves of the tree of life tell me another story. Your destiny is much greater. But you will have to go beyond the limits of your land."

The Druid suddenly stopped in his soliloquy. He put his hand on the armrest of the throne, got up one of the leaves of the big oak. The latter immediately faded. The Druid looked worried.

"-It's already started," he said. Eden, you have to go back to yours now. Go and find Kira, your queen. Put it back on my behalf. Do not stop under any circumstances.  
"I don't understand," Eden wondered. To go all the way to tell me to go back where I come from ?! That does not make any sense! My quest is coming to an end here and I have to drink Gaia's water for it.  
"Eden, the time will come for you to obtain knowledge," answered the Druid. But look, the tree of life is dying. Something devours it from the inside and me with it. If the great oak dies, then all that is will not be. And that also applies to your people. "

The Druid handed Eden a small package surrounded by a white linen cloth, all securely fastened by a leather tie.

"-We are going to take you back to the edge of the Forest. Ethya and Ethyon will guide you. They are my most faithful friends. A tip: during the red moon, beware of shadows and do not lose yours.  
"I do not understand what you're saying, getting mad at Eden. Your Druid mumbo-jumbo is good for the old ones. I would find my way alone and thank you for nothing! "

Eden returned, greatly annoyed by what was for her a considerable loss of time. As she was walking away from the Elegant Oak, a familiar sensation ran through her spine. Oh no, she thought, not again! She felt a wave of cold invading her legs, then her back and finally her arms. Her last words were for both Nymphs:  
"You did not have to redo your sleight of hand! She screamed.  
\- Sorry Butin, excused Ethyon. We only obey the great Druid. "

And Ethyon, with a wave of her hand, blew out her incantation again, reducing the girl to a simple frozen cocoon shrinking to the size of a snowflake.


	3. A smell of Death

It was not the cold that woke Eden up but a soft feeling of warmth. She felt as light as a feather, as if carried by a gentle breeze. She opened her eyes and looked at the beautiful blue skies her body moved in rhythm with the slow gait of the Boreal Wolf on which she was sitting. The massive paws of the wolf trampling the ground, causing small clouds of dust to appear as if she was in a dream then quickly fading. Always this slow and deep breathing. Eden plunged her hands into the thick fur of the wolf. She could feel his heart.

She got up and looked straight ahead. Deja-vu, she was no longer in the Forest of Nymphs. By her side, another more impressive wold still wore Ethyon and Ethya. Both of them were bickering :  
"I told you to go on the right side' said Ethyon, annoyed. But no! You never listen to me!"  
"Stop your chatter," said Ethya. This is the right direction, two more days of walking and we will be there."  
Eden, not saying a word only smiled, fore she knew she was on going to find her family. She was going to be able to tell her adventure to the Guide, to tell it to the children. She kept in mind the orchards of apples and peaches, the little river with the mill of old Aramis, which had not been churned for a long time and the smell of hot bread. As she relived her adventures in her mind, the wonderful smells of the Forest, Eden realized how hungry she was. Come to think about it, she lost all references of time let alone how long since her last meal.  
"By the god, did you swallow a Goblin? asked Ethya. "They make the same cries when they are thrown into the fire."  
"I think Booty is hungry," said Ethyon".  
"Your clear-sightedness is impressive".  
Annoyed by Ethyon's comment, the second Nymph noticed they have not seen the shadow of an inn since they left their Forest.  
"There is one a few meters beyond this bridge," said Eden. We can have a break there. The winter solstice being over, the innkeeper had to fill up brightly, and the wolves are tired".  
Her wold groaned as if to acquiesce in her words. As Eden stroked the neck of the great beast, the bridge was before them. A very high bridge, spanning the river and whose transparency revealing the trout up the current at a brisk pace. The first wolf came forward followed by the second. But halfway down the bridge, suddenly stopping the wolves began to growl with a more fierce tone. The inn was nothing but ruins and ashes. Only one of the four walls remained. Instead of the anticipated smells of freshly baked bread, the air was filled with the smell of death. Eden leaped from the wolf and rushing forward, dagger in hand, near what was formally the rendezvous for travellers. Nothing. Nobody. There was nothing left. Eden felt her heart tighten against her chest. She went around the wall. No living soul. A half-calcined table and bench stood there. And for the rest, piles of ash and nothing else. Eden realized then that under the eyes, these small mounds of gray dust, were what remained of the innkeeper and his family. Tears invaded her. The two Nymphs, motionless at the horrific site and silent. It was the first time. Remorseful, Ethyon put her hand on the Eden's shoulder and said :  
"There is nothing more to do for them. Life has never left this place. Come, we must go without delay to yours".  
Her...Eden then resumed these spirits and the fear mingled with sadness and adrenaline then gave way to worry. She ran, climbed on her wolf and hammered the flanks of the animal with her boots. The two Nymphs somewhat lost, followed the girl in their turn. And it was in a cloud of thick smoke that they went to the land of Mortak.

The wolves galloped fast under a pouring rain, breathing hard and fast as foam was forming on each side of their open mouth. They ran side by side. Their coats no longer shone, but dripped with water. The two Nymphs huddled against each other, struggling as best they could against this torrential rain. As for Eden, she stood firmly in the animal's mane, her legs resting against its sides and her head raised. Rain was not an obstacle and nothing would stop her. The team progressing on a path full of mud, the sky was gray in colour, like the ashes found at the inn.

Galloping now for several hours, Eden did not lose sight of the horizon, with the fearing for what she may find at the end; ashes and ruins. The boreal wolves out of breath kept their pace. The landscape scrolled like melting watercolour colours. As the troop approached their destination, the landscape gradually began to look more realistic. In the distance, Eden saw smoke invading the dark sky and the hope of finding her home safe quickly faded away with smoke in the night.

This was her family. She grew up surrounded by other children. Everyone considered themselves brothers and sisters. The Guide accompanied them from their cradle, educated them, taught them the importance of respecting nature and all that composed it, but also the rudiments of war. Queen Kira, who had governed for many years, by her benevolence, assured peace in the country since the battle of the Great Monarchs. Thus, children including Eden, had never known war but prepared to become dragon guardians. This mystical beast, which hid in the depths of an unknown world, could never have been domesticated or even approached without being devoured. Kira, the great warrior of Mortak, had confronted it twice but had left an eye and the man she loved so much : Kins Aspen. For her, it was vital that the dragons and the community live together, otherwise they would pose a threat to her people. A legend said that reaching the glass dragon's heart would give the person who touched it, the power to control all the dragons. King Aspen had led a long quest in this direction and had managed to capture a dragon. He killed it and took its heart thinking that the power would be transmitted to him. But instead, the dragon and the king turned into stone for eternity.

Eden, lost in the tales and memories of King Aspen and Queen Kira, a legend, for the one alive and the other, dead. But the incessant rain fell heavily on Eden's head to the back of her neck and immediately brought the young woman back to reality. They were now at the gates of the country. A landscape of desolation presented itself to them as a funeral spectacle.


End file.
